Connection! Devotions

I received permission from Jon Graf to post the daily Connection! prayer devotions on Pray.Network. These devotions are available as a free e-mail subscription from the Harvest Prayer Ministries website at http://connection.harvestprayer.com/.

I have found these devotionals to be not only inspirational but also great equipping for my own prayer life. There aren't many devotionals that are actually about prayer - most have a quick prayer at the end and that's about it. But this one has prayer as its focus. I thought others on the Network might be interested in it. I will attempt to post each one daily - although I'll inevitably miss here and there.

Replies to This Discussion

I have read the Acts hundreds of times, and portions of it a few thousand times. Here is one of the plainest books in the Bible, yet I often miss or read right past what is very plain. In chapter one I read right past verse 4, in which our risen Lord gives His last and in a real sense, His most powerful, most commanding command. He actually“charged”them, a military term,“not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father”(ASV).

He literally commanded them to go to the Upper Room and to abide in prayer. And they did. In verses 14 and 15 we read that these all, about 120, continued in prayer and supplication.

Why did they do it? Because Jesus commanded it. Our trouble today is that we have not seen the Upper Room prayer meeting as a command of Jesus. We seem to have little authority when it comes to getting our churches into prayer meetings and all that God wants to do there. I have to say to congregations: “If Jesus commanded you to go to prayer meetings, would you go?” “Well, yes,” they reply, “if Jesus told me to, I would go.” “Well, He does tell you, commands you, to go. Will you go?”

The Great Commission is our mission in the Church. We hold to that, and uphold it. And here is the last, most forceful and imperative of all His commandments, and we don’t heed it, often don’t even seem to hear it. This is a great part of our problem and weakness – getting corporate prayer and revival back into our churches (Acts 1:4).

In Acts 1 we have a full account of Jesus’ last day on earth and of His last things, which are now to be our first things.His last command becomes our first responsibility.

Lord Jesus, Your command in the book of Acts is so clear, and I have been so negligent about obeying the call to corporate prayer for the sake of the fulfillment of Your Great Commission. I want to be a catalyst for revival in my church, but I can only do that as revival grips my own stubborn heart. May I begin to see Your command as my first responsibility and be faithful to seek you in the company of others! Revive my heart, my family and my church for Your glory and for the purpose of finishing the task You have set before us!

Prayer Points

Praise God for his inexhaustible goodness. There is nothing lacking or defective in him. Give thanks for all the pleasure and blessings which flow from God’s goodness. Confess any ingratitude to him. Commit yourself to God-like goodness. Ask that today you may grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18).

Pray that your children will grow up in the training and instruction of the Lord and will learn to walk in his ways (Eph. 6:4).

Prayer Pointer

“When you go to your knees, God will help you stand up to anything.” —Anonymous

There is one intercessor who the Father counts on above all others. That intercessor is Jesus Christ, who “ever always lives to intercede.” His intercessory prayers undergird all the operations of the kingdom. They bring glory to the Father, bring salvation and security to the people of God, and build the church on earth. God’s plan for history moves forward because Christ intercedes. He is the ultimate intercessor. However, He does not intercede alone. Our intercessory prayers in Jesus’ name are drawn into His prayers and His prayers include ours. God counts on His Son to incorporate and reform our prayers.

A second intercessor that God counts on is the Holy Spirit. He is the indwelling intercessor whose primary intercessory activity is within us. Sent by the Father and the Son, the Spirit enables us to pray “on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18). The Spirit puts God’s burdens on our hearts and brings our prayers into line with God’s will. God counts on the Holy Spirit to help us pray as we ought.

Father, it continually amazes me that I am asked to participate in seeking Your heart for Your glory and the advancement of Your kingdom. What an amazing privilege and awesome responsibility! Thank You for the power of the Name of Jesus and for the indwelling Holy Spirit who continually helps me to align my prayers with the purposes of Your kingdom.

Prayer Points

Praise God that he knows everything in every age. Give thanks that he knows you by name and that you matter to him. Confess any attempt to conceal things from God. Commit yourself to openness and honesty before God. Invite him to search your heart and life (Ps. 139:23-24). Ask to be protected from the evil one and kept from a spirit of worldliness.

Since faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:15-17), pray that your unsaved friends, neighbors, and relatives will hear the Word and respond in faith.

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31).

The Jerusalem church was facing a crisis. The authorities had commanded them not to preach anymore in the name of Jesus. What should they do? Their first response should be the response of every congregation of believers everywhere. They prayed. And oh, what a prayer!

These early Christians based their bold prayer on Psalm 2, acknowledging the hostility of the authorities to the Messiah, while affirming the Father’s promise to the Son that He would receive all nations as His inheritance. They boldly asked God, not to step in to protect them, but to empower them to be witnesses in the face of opposition. They even asked the Lord to confirm their message with signs and wonders.

God’s pleasure with their prayer is evident. He shook the building, filled them with the Holy Spirit (again!) and they immediately began to speak the word of God with boldness. Within weeks of this prayer meeting, even their enemies were saying that they had filled Jerusalem with their teaching (Acts 5:28).

When will the Church today pray such a prayer? In order to do so, we must be a people who are more interested in the Kingdom of God that in our own comfort. We must be more concerned about the advancement of the cause of Christ, than about our retirement benefits or bank accounts. Are you willing to pray bold prayers that stir the heart of God to change circumstances and shake buildings?

Mighty Father, teach me to pray like these early believers prayed. Help me to lay aside my fears and apprehensions and boldly pray and preach as they did. Lord, help me to not worry about opposition, but to pray in the face of it. Help me to not seek comfort and protection, so much as the proclamation of the message of Christ. Shake churches once again with Your power. Fill me again with Your Holy Spirit so that I may proclaim the word of God boldly.

Prayer Points

Praise God for the depth of his wisdom and knowledge, and for his unsearchable judgments. Thank God for guiding and directing your ways. Confess any resistance on your part to do his will. Commit yourself to acknowledging him in all your ways (Prov. 3:5-6). Ask God for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better and have the eyes of your heart enlightened, to know the hope to which you are called, the riches of his glorious inheritance (Eph. 1:17-18).

Pray for the Spirit of love in your church that believers may be one, even as the Father and Son are one, so that the world may believe that God sent Jesus Christ (Jn. 17:21).

During the Great Awakening in Scotland, prayer meetings often began with children, then spread to adults. For example, a schoolteacher in the parish of Baldernock allowed four students to meet on their own for prayer and psalm singing. According to The Parish of Baldernock, “In the course of two weeks, ten or twelve more [children] were awakened and under deep convictions. Some of these were not more than eight or nine years of age, and others twelve or thirteen. And so much were they engrossed with the one thing needful as to meet thrice a day-in the morning, at mid-day, and at night.”

Adults then began holding prayer meetings two or more times a week. There were many conversions at both the adult and the children’s meetings. The fervor soon spread to other parishes. The Parish of Kirkintillock reports: “In the month of April, 1742, about sixteen children in the town were observed to meet together in a barn for prayer. Mr. Burnside [their pastor] heard of it, had frequent meetings with them, and they continued to improve. And this being reported, many more were impressed. Soon after, about a hundred and twenty [children] were under a more than ordinary concern, and praying societies, as usual, were formed.”

The reaction to that awakening was to affirm and support the prayers of children. “Why not encourage children’s prayer-meetings? Why may not God still perfect praises to the glory of his grace, out of the mouth of babes?” people asked.

Jonathan Edwards also encouraged children’s prayer. In answering objections some critics had raised to children’s prayer meetings, he wrote, “God, in this work, has shown a remarkable regard to little children; never was there such a glorious work amongst persons in their childhood, as has been of late in New England. He has been pleased, in a wonderful manner, to perfect praise out of the mouths of babes and sucklings; and many of them have more of that knowledge and wisdom that please him, and render their religious worship acceptable, than many of the great and learned men of the world. I have seen many happy effects of children’s religious meetings; and God has seemed often remarkably to own them in their meetings, and really descended from heaven to be amongst them. I have known several probable instances of children being converted at such meetings.”

Loving Father, from the mouths of children and infants, You have ordained praise! Forgive us for the glaring neglect of the spiritual development of our youngest ones! Raise us up as mentors and godly examples, but give us the humility to learn from children how to seek after Your heart and hear Your voice. Keep us from the temptation to entertain or to engage our children in spiritual fluff when You have created them for so much more! Help us to be intentional about nurturing the prayers of children and to resist our fears of coming together before You as the intergenerational Body of Your Son, Jesus Christ!

Prayer Points

Praise God for keeping his covenant promises to you. Give thanks that you have always been able to count on him in all circumstances. Confess any doubt you have had concerning God and his promises. Commit yourself to trusting the Lord and taking him at his word. Ask for his peace which transcends understanding to guard your heart and your mind in Jesus Christ.

Pray that those who instruct within the church may be able to correctly handle the Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

Prayer Pointer

“Embark upon no enterprise you cannot submit to the test of prayer.” —Anonymous

Five major traits characterize the great historical awakenings. First, the awakenings were preceded by gross moral and spiritual declension in the church. The church ceased to be a great lighthouse for a world in a stormy sea and was drowning in the waves of immorality and impurity. Because her eyes were filled with impurities, she could not see God in His splendor and majesty.

Second, God would, at the darkest moment, breathe on the hearts of a few individuals. They would begin to seek His face, and a revival of prayer would result. The Holy Spirit would show men and women the utter necessity of absolute dependence upon God.

Third, a visitation of God’s presence would come among God’s people. A fresh breath of life blew into the churches—the life of God in the hearts of His people. A new sense of purity of character grew among God’s people. The church experienced the holiness of God, and Christians were conformed into the image of Christ.

Fourth, a reaping of a great evangelistic harvest occurred—a renewal of the preaching of the old truths of the Bible. Pastors and evangelists preached the holiness of God, the corrupted nature of man, and Christ as God’s only provision for man’s sin. They preached that Christ must be received by faith and that man must be born again. They preached against sin and set forth the extraordinary love of God. And God gave the increase. The greatest times of evangelism took place during the great spiritual awakenings.

Finally, growth in the church resulted, and new movements and ministers were thrust into world evangelism. There were lasting results; the fruit remained. Although there were some excesses in each movement, in general the church made great strides in building the kingdom of God.

Grace-filled Father, I see the signs of moral and spiritual decline all around me, and I struggle in my own life towards the holiness of Christ! Open my eyes so that I can see the pitfalls of sin before I step blindly into them! Breathe on my heart as You have done in the past and form me into the image of Your lovely Son. Renew my heart with a deep desire to follow and teach Your Word, and to proclaim it boldly. Help me to show Your extraordinary love for all those You place in my path. Wake me up and wake up Your people to live out the life of Christ in such a fruitful way, that Your kingdom will explode into life all around us!

Prayer Points

Praise God for the beauty of his holiness (2 Chron. 20:21). Give thanks that he has removed the stain of sin from your life and made you holy. Confess any sin or unholiness that taints your life. Commit yourself to being holy, as God is holy (1 Pet. 1:16). Ask that you may be made holy through and through so that your spirit, soul, and body will be kept blameless (1 Thess. 5:23).

Pray for families undergoing severe marital strife, asking that God will rekindle a flame of love between husband and wife.

The Bible tells us that unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor, labor in vain. That is especially so when we are speaking of a local congregation that becomes so impacted and driven by prayer that it truly could be called a house of prayer. God’s Word contains no blueprints for building a house of prayer. Looking about at various congregations that are known for their strong focus on prayer also leaves us without a clear pattern. Each of these churches seem to have grown and developed in prayer according to its own corporate personality and distinctiveness. Most of us who work in helping churches grow in prayer have studiously avoided any cookie-cutter methodology. The Divine Builder seems to be custom-building His houses of prayer.

Still, there are principles that are true in all prayer-driven churches. Discovering and implementing those principles should help any congregation move toward the goal of seeing prayer become pervasive throughout the Body.

The simplest and most basic of those principles is that we should pray about prayer. Several years ago I was with a group of prayer leaders who met with the staff of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, certainly a fine example of a house of prayer. In the midst of the conversation, the question arose of how the congregation had begun and continued this journey of prayer. The answer was swift: “We asked God to pour out a spirit of prayer.” Though we tried to talk about methodologies, the staff of Brooklyn Tabernacle were adamant in their answer: “We must pray about prayer.” If we truly believe that the Lord is the Builder of His house of prayer, then it makes sense that we come to Him first.

The formation of a prayer team to simply pray about the church becoming a house of prayer may well be the most important step to transform a local Body. In Zechariah 12:10 we read of a spirit of prayer being poured out upon a whole city: “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication.” Use that passage to begin to pray for that spirit of prayer to fall upon your congregation.

Lord Jesus, pour out a spirit of grace and supplication upon me and upon Your Body the Church! Build us and transform us to become a house of prayer for all nations! I long to be a dwelling place for Your Spirit as You shape me into a purpose-filled, kingdom-advancing disciple! May Your house be known for and characterized by prayer that delights Your heart and moves Your hand!

Prayer Points

Praise Jesus Christ for his grace and beauty. Thank God for reproducing the beauty of Christ’s character in you. Confess anything in your life which is displeasing to God. Commit yourself to pleasing him in every way. Ask God to help you live a life worthy of the Lord, to please him in everything you do, and to bear fruit in every good work (Col. 1:10).

Pray that all God’s people will be able to stand against the principalities, powers, and the world rulers of darkness that seek to control the lives and destinies of people. Pray that they may put on the whole armor of God and may pray in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and requests (Eph. 6:10-18).

In Old Testament times God counted on a limited number of persons from the tribe of Levi to be priests to represent the people before Him. These priests were permitted to go where ordinary Hebrews were not permitted to go, into the very presence of God. Their role was essentially that of intercessors or “in-between-ers.” Isaiah, however, predicted that a day would come when all of God’s people would be called “priests of the Lord” (Isaiah 61:6). That day has arrived, says Peter. New Testament believers are “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). That means we are all priests. We are all officially appointed as intercessors. The privilege of access to God, once very limited, has now been opened to all of us. We are given this access not only to pray for ourselves, but also to pray for others—to be intercessors. God counts on our prayers to mediate His blessings to others and carry forward His love-plan for the world.

God, it seems, has always been using intercessors and their prayers in shaping history. God used Moses’ prayers to keep His wrath from destroying Israel. God used Daniel’s prayers to return Israel to the Promised Land. God used Elijah’s prayers to reprimand Israel by stopping and later restarting rainfall in the land of Canaan. To assure that there would always be intercessors to bring about His purposes, God even arranged to have watchmen posted on the walls of Jerusalem and mandated them to “call on the Lord,” and “never be silent day or night.” Today, through the work of His Son and His Spirit, God has arranged to have about two billion “watch persons” posted throughout the nations of the earth to “call on the Lord” and “never be silent day or night.” That is the group that you and I are part of.

Worthy God, You have called me into a royal priesthood, and charged me with being a watchman on the wall! It awes me how You can choose to use the prayers of even one of Your servants to move or stay Your hand. May I never lose sight of the fact that my prayers are important to the working of Your kingdom and that to neglect this responsibility is disobedience! Give me a deep desire to call upon You day and night along with millions of other saints so that the purposes of Your loving heart may be carried out.

Prayer Points

Praise the Lamb who is worthy “to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise” (Rev. 5:12). Thank God for the blood of the Lamb given for the complete remission of all your sin. Confess any self-centeredness which has taken your focus off God. Commit yourself to loving God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. Ask him to give you the kingdom and make you his priest that you may serve him and reign with him on earth.

Pray that sons and daughters who have wandered away from the faith may be restored.

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off”(Acts 13:2-3).

There is a story of a preacher who regularly challenged the young people in his church to come forward to dedicate their lives to missionary service. The church was supporting several of these youth who had chosen to respond when God placed a call to go into all the world upon their hearts. One Sunday, he preached a powerful message about the desperate need for workers in the harvest and gave yet another opportunity to those who felt called by God to prepare themselves for going to the lost. Yet, this day was different from all the others. This was the day that his own daughter walked up the aisle and stood before him, her eyes shining with excitement and joy. The preacher’s heart plummeted to the floor as he watched her come, and anxiety sprung up in his throat. He had been prepared to send everyone else’s sons and daughters, but had not considered the possibility that his own child might respond to God in this way. He faced a crisis of obedience in this moment when he felt both pride and fear welling up within him.

I don’t know the rest of this story, but I imagine that the preacher embraced his daughter’s commitment, offering his encouragement and support as she answered the call of God upon her life. Yet, his situation reminds us that when we ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into His harvest field, we need to be serious about preparing ourselves, our children, our parents, etc. for the possibilities of what God may do in response. Perhaps God will call us to much prayer and fasting as part of such preparation so that He can reveal His plans and purposes to us. Are we prepared to send those we love with our support and blessing? Will we step out in faith, committing ourselves to send them out fully equipped spiritually as well as financially? Are we prepared to go if He is calling us?

Lord of the Harvest, prepare my heart in worship, prayer and fasting for all that You plan to use me for in the work of Your kingdom so that I don’t miss the opportunities you lay before me. Get me ready for the possibility that You may choose to call my children or grandchildren to places all over this world for Your sake. Help me to be willing to send those whom You have called by helping them to be prepared physically, spiritually, emotionally and financially. And, Father, prepare me to respond joyfully in whatever way You choose to use me.

Prayer Points

Praise God as your rock, your fortress, your deliverer, the one in whom you take refuge. Thank God that he hears and answers prayer and showers you with unfailing kindness. Confess any unfaithfulness, impurity, or deceit. Commit yourself to courageously challenging the Lord’s enemies as you are armed by his strength. Ask him to reach down and take hold of you, to arm you with strength, and to rescue you from evil powers.

Pray that God will lay a burden on your heart for one or more unsaved persons he wants you to reach out to. He does not want anyone to perish (2 Pet. 3:9).

This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, “Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going.’” And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him”(Zechariah 8:20-22).

In 1747, Jonathan Edwards published An Humble Attempt to Promote an Explicit Agreement and Visible Union of God’s People through the World, in Extraordinary Prayer, for the Revival of Religion and the Advancement of Christ’s Kingdom on Earth. Usually referred to thereafter as An Humble Attempt, this book was reprinted by Christian Focus in 2003 as A Call to United, Extraordinary Prayer. Edwards said he was motivated to write on “a concert of prayer” for two reasons: first, he realized that the revivals of the mid-1730s and the early 1740s would not recur until God’s people engaged in earnest prayer for revival. Second, he wanted to provide additional theological support for a document written by some Scottish pastors simply entitled Memorial.

David Bryant, describing this document, states: “Rising out of scores of prayer societies already functioning in Scotland around 1740, especially among young people, by 1744 a committee of ministers determined it was time to do more. They decided to try a two-year ‘experiment,’ uniting all prayer groups and praying Christians in their nation into a common prayer strategy. They called for focused revival prayer on every Saturday evening and Sunday morning, as well as on the first Tuesday of each quarter. By 1746 they were so gratified by the impact of their experiment that they composed a call to prayer to the church worldwide, especially in the colonies.

However, this time the ‘concert of prayer’ was to be for seven years.” Citing Zechariah 8:20-22, Edwards said that God’s rich promises encourage us to expect great success from corporate prayer. He said: “That which God abundantly makes the subject of His promises, God’s people should abundantly make the subject of their prayers.” He concluded that when believers persevere in united, concerted prayer, God will grant a fresh revival, which “shall be propagated, till the awakening reaches those that are in the highest stations, and till whole nations be awakened.”

Heavenly Father, my prayer life is often so lifeless and routine! When I hear of these amazing people, old and young, who gave themselves fully to Your purposes in united prayer, I long to experience the sweetness of revival in my own spirit, in my home, in my church and in my nation! I do not want to perpetuate a prayer life that is routine, but want to spark life in the hearts of others who are seeking more fullness in Your kingdom. Draw me close, Father, and fill me with expectation of seeing You move in power as I cry out to You in desperation!

Prayer Points

Praise the one who is King of kings and Lord of lords. Give thanks for everything in which you may find godly pleasure today: for work, food, books, music, and friends. Confess any pain you have unnecessarily brought into the lives of others. Commit yourself to doing to others today what you would have them do to you. Ask God to guide you in all your ways, to guard you against all that would harm you in body and soul, and to strengthen you in the face of temptation.

Pray for your pastor and church leaders. Ask God to give them wisdom and integrity and the filling of the Holy Spirit, that they may be mature in faith and may exercise their offices with prayer, patience, and humility.

The great need of the church in this generation is the manifest glory of God. We need men and women with the mark of God’s glory upon their lives. Our pulpits need to be set aflame by men who have seen the King of glory in their secret chambers of prayer.

Our pews need people to fill them whose hearts long for God’s manifest presence in their lives. The need exists for men and women who are like Jesus because they have been with Jesus. Revival is when God is known as God of our lives, homes, churches, and communities.

The Bible exhorts the believer to remember the things that God has done for His people in past times. We have much to learn from the history of God’s dealings with His people. Prayer will always be found at the root of those dealings. As a result, it would benefit us to look at the importance of prayer in historical awakenings. Although this is not an exhaustive study of spiritual awakenings, it will serve to remind us that God has not changed. The God of Paul, Peter, Whitefield, Wesley, Finney, and Moody is the God of our generation. He is looking for men and women who will take hold of Him in prayer and not let go until His glory comes.

Holy Spirit, I want to take hold of You in prayer and not let go until I see Your glory come in my life, and in the midst of Your people! I have heard so many stories of what happens when Your manifest Presence shows up and I am tired of only hearing but not seeing! How I thirst for more of Your divine activity around me. Make me willing to follow Christ at all cost and to seek Your face passionately simply because I long to be with You. Come and reign in me!

Prayer Points

Praise God as your beloved Father. Give thanks as a dear child for the undeserved love and grace you receive from him. Confess all the ways you have offended him. Commit yourself to trusting and obeying. Ask Christ to be with you always and to teach you to obey all things that he has commanded.

Pray for the ability to serve God in marriage and family life by reflecting his covenant love in lifelong loyalty, and by teaching his ways, so that children may know Jesus as their Lord and learn to use their gifts in a life of joyful service.

It is difficult, if not impossible to find a passionate, praying church without also finding a congregation that has come to understand the role of the pastor as the key person in becoming a house of prayer. Pastors cannot lead people where they themselves have not gone or are at least in the process of moving to. This is especially so in prayer. The praying pastor is a prerequisite for a church becoming a house of prayer.

In a very real sense, God will not allow it any other way. If a pastor is not a person of prayer, and is not desirous of the congregation growing in prayer, then a movement of prayer within the church actually begins to look and feel like rebellion. God isn’t in the business of blessing rebellion against legitimate leaders, even if they are leaders who don’t understand the importance and centrality of prayer for a healthy church. The Church today is paying a price for focusing more on human methodologies and less on the power of God released through prayer. This is why it is so important for prayer leaders, as well as congregations, to consistently pray for their pastors.

Lord, forgive my weak attempts to undergird my pastors in prayer. Move my heart with great passion to intercede for their needs, their families, and especially their spiritual journey with You! May my prayers become like the arms of Aaron and Hur, lifting up the often weary arms of my pastors as they seek to fulfill the calling You have given. May they lead our congregation towards becoming a house of prayer because their hearts are fully committed to You!

Prayer Points

Praise the one who is able to do immeasurably more than all one can ask or imagine. Thank God for what he is doing in your life and in the church in response to prayer. Confess little asking and weak praying. Commit yourself to asking and expecting much in Jesus’ name. Claim the promise that Christ will come to you and make his home in your heart if you love him and trust him.

Pray that the countries currently banning the Bible may soon rescind these bans so that their people may have free access to the Bible.

Prayer Pointer

“Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night.” —Thomas Fuller

Lack of intercessory prayer can also lead to divine reversals. At a dire point in Israel’s history, God looked for an intercessor among them who would “build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that [He] would not have to destroy it.” But God found no one He could count on that day, so He said, “I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger” (Ezekiel 22:30–31). If God had found an intercessor to stand in the gap that dark day, the future of Israel would have been different. Today, there is no such lack. There is an intercessor who stands in the gap pleading God’s mercy for a sin-ravished world. That intercessor is Jesus Christ, and we stand with Him.

Intercessory prayer is cooperation with God. He chooses to have us cooperate with Him in order to bring His plans for the world to complete fruition. God could bypass us humans if He chose to do so. He is sovereign, almighty, and all-wise. He doesn’t need our permission to act. But He has chosen to bring us in on the process and has prepared us to be intercessors through the work of His Son and His Holy Spirit.

Intercession is not optional. It is of extreme importance. Ole Hallesby is correct in calling prayer “a labor for which there is no substitute in the kingdom of God . . . the most important work we have to do.” Later he underscores the effectiveness of prayer saying, “God takes immediate cognizance, therefore, of man’s prayer in his government of the world. Something does take place as a result of man’s prayer, which otherwise would not take place. In fact, as we have seen, man’s prayer is one of the most effective means by which God directs the world forward towards its goal, the kingdom of God.”

Sovereign Lord, You have made a way for one as insignificant as me to join You in Your kingdom work. Because of Christ Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, my prayers matter to You. May I faithfully stand in the gap for those people, situations and nations You place upon my heart…and may I continually be willing to cooperate with You in this divine partnership!

Prayer Points

Praise him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before his presence with exceeding joy. Give thanks that God has preserved you through many physical and spiritual dangers. Confess a specific fault that you want God to remove. Commit yourself to courageous endurance in the way of Christ. Ask for undying hope in the Lord and a renewal of strength that you may soar on wings like an eagle, may run and not grow weary, may walk and not be faint (Isa. 40:31).

Ask the Lord to send the power of his Holy Spirit upon all the missionaries of your church and to give them the strength, courage, health, support, and spiritual gifts to be fruitful.